Vaccine Reservation System Crashes Due to Iroma Hacker Attack

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The COVID-19 vaccine reservation system in Lazio, including Italy's capital Rome, has been paralyzed due to a hacker attack.

On the 1st (local time), the Lazio authorities announced via their official Twitter account that the regional computer system was paralyzed by a hacking attack from an unidentified source.

The authorities explained, "We are taking all defensive and verification measures to prevent further damage caused by the hacker attack," adding, "As a result, vaccine-related operations may be delayed."

Currently, major functions of the portal site, such as COVID-19 vaccine appointment reservations, are down due to the hacking damage. There are concerns that if the system is not restored promptly, the regional vaccine campaign could face setbacks.

Photo by Reuters

The regional authorities and police are investigating the perpetrators behind the attack while working on system recovery. This hacker attack occurred amid ongoing protests opposing vaccination, ahead of the expanded implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine certificate called the 'Green Pass.'

Earlier, the Italian central government announced on the 22nd of last month measures to encourage vaccination among young people by requiring presentation of the vaccine certificate when entering sports and cultural facilities, amusement parks, and indoor restaurants.

The plan was to expand the scope of the Green Pass, introduced by the European Union (EU) to guarantee free movement within the region for vaccinated individuals, to domestic use in order to boost the sluggish vaccination rate among young people. The implementation date is set for the 6th of this month.

However, since then, major cities such as Rome, Milan, and Naples have seen a series of protests claiming that the vaccine mandate restricts the freedom to choose vaccination.